The glam-rock singer shot to fame in the late 60s with Space Oddity but has been largely silent in recent years, not performing live since 2006 and rarely appearing in public since then. Bowie turned down the opportunity to appear at the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony despite a personal plea by director Danny Boyle.

"Throwing shadows and avoiding the industry treadmill is very David Bowie despite his extraordinary track record that includes album sales in excess of 130m, not to mention his massive contributions in the area of art, fashion, style, sexual exploration and social commentary," said a Columbia press release.

The record, produced by long-term collaborator Tony Visconti and written by Bowie, was recorded in New York, Columbia said. The single is accompanied by a video directed by Tony Oursler that harks back to Bowie's time in Berlin. He is seen looking in on footage of the auto repair shop beneath the apartment he lived in along with stark images of the city at the time.

The spokesman added that Bowie was the sort of artist who "writes and performs what he wants when he wants".

A second representative subsequently told the Guardian there were no plans for interviews or live dates.

Alexis Petridis: David Bowie sprang the biggest surprise the pop industry has seen in years by recording and releasing his new single Where Are We Now? and a new album in complete secrecy. Producer Tony Visconti, guitarist Earl Slick and others in the know reveal how it happened – and spill more about the singer's plans